The Christmas and New Year period is a fantastic time for rest, family, and reflection—but when the dojo closes for a few weeks, it can be easy for your training momentum to disappear entirely. For students in a structured, small-group setting like Bristol Shorinji Kempo, maintaining continuity is key to avoiding the feeling of having to start over in January.
In Shorinji Kempo, we teach that physical technique (ken) and mental development (zen) are inseparable, embodying the principle of Ken Zen Ichinyo (Body and Mind as One). The holiday pause offers a perfect opportunity to enhance the mental side of your practice, ensuring you return stronger and more resilient, even if you’ve spent less time practicing punches and kicks (gōhō).
Here are eight high-leverage ways you can maintain motivation and continuity this holiday season.
1. Structure Your Effort (Lightly)
Sometimes, the big picture—becoming a black belt, for example—feels overwhelming. Instead, set a defined “Holiday Training Plan” that is light but structured, or choose a Personal Development Goal. You might focus solely on perfecting your stances or mastering one specific jūho (soft technique) escape (with help from unsuspecting family members and guests!).
2. Embrace Micro-Training and Logging
Consistency is earned through dedication and trust in the process, not built overnight. Even the busiest holiday season can include Micro-Training by focusing on short, intense bursts of practice throughout the day. For instance, a couple of minutes of footwork drills while waiting for the kettle to boil. To help track these efforts, you could use Training Logs or Progress Journals. This is valuable because often, when improvement seems to stall, the body and mind are actually consolidating skills, and tracking your work helps you value the act of showing up.
3. Focus on Mindset and Philosophy
Training involves developing both your body and your mind, and you miss an opportunity for self-improvement if you only focus on the physical. Cold dark nights are great for Mindset and Philosophy Work (Howa) – take time to read about the core tenets of Shorinji Kempo. You could check your understanding by explaining what you have read to your guests!
Don’t forget that every class includes seated meditation (Chinkon), which helps calm and focus the mind, improves breathing control, and allows the spirit to flourish. You can easily maintain this aspect of your training at home.
4. Community and Visualisation
Even when classes are paused, the dojo spirit remains. Why not challenge each other on the dojo group chat to keep the camaraderie and mutual support amongst students going.
You can also visualise your return. Knowing that challenges are normal, and that showing up (even when you don’t feel like it) is what counts the most, helps build resilience. Visualise what you want to achieve when you step back into the dojo – you are still moving forward.
5. Equipment-Free Cross-Training
Cross-training prevents overuse injuries, builds complementary skills, and helps keep motivation high by breaking routine fatigue. Since specialised equipment might not be available during the holidays, focus on what you can do at home:
- Flexibility & Mobility: Try dynamic stretching routines or yoga to improve kicking height and reduce joint strain.
- Cardiovascular Training: Go for a run, cycle, or use High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) circuits to improve your endurance so you can train harder for longer when you return to class.
The goal of cross-training is balance—it should enhance your core martial art, not replace it.
Keep turning up for yourself and maintain that forward momentum. If you’re interested in diving deeper into the mental side of training, you can read our other blog post on Mental Toughness in the Martial Arts. If you want advice on how to integrate cross-training into your daily life, or if you’re ready to put your improvements into action, you know where to find us.